Lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett recently experienced his first defeat in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, losing by unanimous decision to Justin Gaethje for the interim 155-pound championship in the main event of UFC 324. During the five-round clash, Gaethje notably dropped Pimblett and delivered several significant blows.
Despite the severity of the fight, Pimblett confirmed he sustained no concussions or other serious injuries, expressing an intent to return to the octagon sooner than many might expect. On his YouTube channel, Pimblett stated, “I’ll be back in the summer. Just let me know when and where, Hunter [Campbell], Dana [White], Sean [Shelby], and I’m ready to go. I haven’t got any injuries. People keep saying, ‘Oh, the damage he took, he’s going to have to take months off.’ I didn’t even have a concussion. I never had any headaches after it. All I had was a marked face and sore eyeballs after getting poked in them.”
Beyond a targeted timeframe, Pimblett has already outlined potential opponents, with Benoit Saint Denis, who recently moved ahead of him in the rankings, topping his list. Pimblett voiced his frustration with the rankings update, remarking, “It annoyed me that Saint Denis has moved above me for beating that bum Dan Hooker. Why has Saint Denis moved above me for beating that bum Dan Hooker, who’s f*cking sh*t? What’s going on there?”
Pimblett emphasized his readiness to face any challenger. “I’ll fight anyone,” he asserted. “I just know whatever name gets sent to me on a contract, I sign it and I fight them. But Saint Denis sounds like a good fight to me. Europe’s two best lightweights going at it against each other. Or, I won’t get the winner, but the loser of Max [Holloway]-Charles [Oliveira]. F*ck, I’ll fight Arman [Tsarukyan] if you want me to. I don’t give a f*ck. I’ll fight anyone.”
